moment of grace (haibun)

the dreamer
never dreaming
to live a dream
leaving everyone else
behind in the future

long meadow
is too short to hold
the emptiness
of leaving a family
longing for their faces

high in the mountains
suspended over the valley
even spirits
smoothing the paths
toe to heel, toe to heel

ocean breezes
a coolness blowing inland
my message
meets hers mid-air
the tie that binds

Jane’s book “She Alone” describes a trip her daughter, Heidi, made into the Sierra Mountains. Between the stories Jane created tanka like the ones above.

Here is my haibun inspired by her masterpiece.

******************************

They decided to go on a hike up Owl’s Head . She knew her daughter was not an athletic type. But one thing they both had in common, appreciating the clean air of the forest. It would just be a bit more tiresome to savour it on the mountain…was it all worth it, she wondered, hearing her daughter grumble?

panting up the slope
soft breeze whistles
through the trees
awestruck suddenly
a doe freezes on their trail

tender moment
between mother and daughter
holding their gaze
speaking
would have been redundant

lightheaded
presence of Abenaki spirit
circling at the peak
brush of white feathers
snowy owl flaps its wings

©Tournesol’17/01/27

CDHK

summertime (haibun)

Image result for trapeze sailing — Sailing Magazine

They felt like lovers again for twenty four hours. The children were at their Nanny’s and so they took advantage of the sunny day with that steady breeze from the South. Sailing in the morning was heaven. The breeze picked up in the afternoon, so they suited up with their trapeze harnesses for an afternoon of pure exciting bliss. They had smeared their bodies with sun block but she ran into a surprise that evening.

sailing rendezvous
babe swaddled in her harness
sun kissed face
painfully learns the hard way
her lips were on fire!

It was only then, she discovered Zinc clear sunscreen SPF 50 for lips was the wise choice for sailors and lifeguards. They still went to Old Montreal for a late night dinner, walking on the cobblestone streets and when the fire started to be unmanageable, he searched among pharmacies to give her relief.

cooling her lips
serves her ice chips all night long
warming her heart

Carpe Diem #1132 ‘The wrong answer will indicate the right one.’ (Petrus)

I was going to share Kiss of Fire by Louis Armstrong, but I discovered this singer last week and Summertime seems appropriate for this haibun. I hope you will enjoy Andrea Motis as much as I do

speechless (senryu)

Haiku Horizons prompt: flood

runs towards her
flooded with emotions
speechless

©Tournesol’17/01/23

creative process (haibun) The Pilgrimage “Intuition”

Years ago, she took painting classes as a prerequisite for art therapy. She’d never had an art class in school and was not sure what to expect. The teacher would put on music and ask the students to simply let the music move them. She was always surprised three hours later when she was asked to clean her brushes, the class had ended. Three hours passed like fifteen minutes. Using the creative side of your brain seems to stop time.

melodies of strings
transported to the heavens
guiding brush strokes

©Tournesol’17/01/23

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai – The Pilgrimage “Intuition”

meditation (troibun) on the road to Santiago

My best meditation, if you want to call it that, is when I am walking. I start by looking up at the blue sky and sun reflecting on the snow, adjust my sunglasses as the glare blinds my blue eyes and I walk. I start chanting my mantra 108 times and if my mind is still chattering, I chant another set. And then I am in a magical zone.

amma mom — (c) Clr ‘157Amma, Mom, GrandMaman

Amma smiles at me
departed spirits appear
reassuring me

Amma smiles at me
mind swims
in harmony

departed spirits appear
a message
removing my fears

reassuring me
feeling their presence
blessing my day

©Tournesol’17/01/23

Troiku is a new haiku form created by Chèvrefeuile at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai

CDHK – The Pilgrimage on the road to Santiago – Meditation

friendship (haibun)

Our host , Chèvrefeuille, writes a very moving post at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, about friendship before continuing on to the lesson in The Pilgrimage on acknowledging friends and support around us.
In times of sorrow or personal strife, I have found solace in my solitude, my writing and my readers. The latter have become friends from afar, who have read my words and “got it”, felt it and embraced it.
I love this passage we are referred to on friendship:

[…] ‘Once, a poet said that no man is an island. In order to fight the good fight, we need help. We need friends, and when the friends aren’t nearby, we have to turn solitude into our main weapon. We need the help of everything around us in order to take the necessary steps toward our goal. Everything has to be a personal manifestation of our will to win the good fight. If we don’t understand that, then we don’t recognize that we need everything and everybody, and we become arrogant warriors. And our arrogance will defeat us in the end, because we will be so sure of ourselves that we won’t see the pitfalls there on the field of battle.’ […](Source: The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho)

How true! Amma, (Mata Amritanandamayi) says, “We are all beads strung together on the same thread of love”.

Image may contain: text — Amma’s Facebook page

As much as I love to help others, be supportive and it is part of my work as a counsellor as well, I find it difficult to ask for help. I am working on that. It is not arrogance but perhaps the attitude, “I can do it on my own” may be my giving into vanity which is really the same thing.

on pebbled roads
my walking stick breaks
a rest is due

watching travellers go by
humbly ask a stranger’s help

limping’s not so bad
free of a heavy knapsack
a comrade now carts

©Tournesol’17/01/22

imagination (troibun) on the Road to Santiago

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai – Imagine – The road to Santiago

Walking along the narrow path through the mountains, we feel a soft breeze. Cautiously, looking over my shoulder from time to time, the journey seems much longer now that I know I must meet up with a huge challenge.

scanning high and low
even the clouds seem daunting
demons etched throughout

scanning high and low
sniffing the air around me
danger has a scent

even the clouds seem daunting
fear listens attentively
danger has a growl

demons etched throughout
imagination running wild
gets the best of me

©Tournesol’17/01/22

CDHK – Imagination on the Road to Santiago

Troiku is a new haiku form created by Chèvrefeuille at CDHK

mea culpa (troiku)

crime of passion
walking a path of remorse
turns into pure love

crime of passion
possessed by earthly cravings
fed by rage and greed

walking a path of remorse
seeking absolution
consumed in sorrow

finds untainted love
His unconditional love
and, divine mercy

A Troiku is a new haiku form created by Chèvrefeuille at CDHK

CDHK – The Pilgrimage – Penitence

following my path (troibun)

Image may contain: food and indoor — ©Clr’17 Beads

Travelling long distances is something new for her. She would travel far to get to one destination only and come back. But now she travels and sometimes takes detours to get to a destination. The time to be there is vague…she tries not to depend on tight schedules. She knows somehow thy will be done. Perhaps some of her guru’s philosophy is rubbing off on her. She knows she has to learn her way and though through guidance, mantras or prayer, readings…these are simply tools to help interpret life around her….the one she was blind to.

(troiku)

walking warily
faith keeps her from falling
icy footpaths

walking warily
mindful of her goal
que sera sera

faith keeps her from falling
patience
lifetime practice

icy footpaths
more lessons to be learned
sitting or standing

She was raised with a strict Catholic upbringing. She remembers her Grand-Maman beading her rosary every night. She now rolls each bead when chanting a mantra, a gift from her guru, Divine Mother, Amma. And yet reading The Pilgrimage she finds more parallels than differences in the lessons presented compared to Amma’s wise tales teaching her devotees.

Today, as she was walking out of the Métro Rosemont, she noticed a young woman limping and her heart sank seeing her twisted foot in a heavy winter boot. Usually she would start chanting her mantra with a person in mind but for some reason as she walked out onto the street, she started reciting the Lord’s Prayer, ten Hail Mary’s and Glory Be to the Father. What made her do it felt natural…she was asking Mother Mary to help this young woman and at least give her a good day today. She had not recited these prayers in a while and she was not surprised…it felt natural and right.

She looks at the wooden rosary she brought home from her mother’s bedroom and sets aside her beads before retiring…

prayers or mantras
many different words
same Golden Rule

CDHK – The Road to Santiago – Depend on Yourself

Troiku is a new form of haiku created by Chèvrefeuille at CDHK

Daily Haiku Challenge

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